


The Freedom of Information Act

by sokovianaccords (eurogirl)



Series: International Relations [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Politics, F/M, Work/Life Balance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-22
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-06-03 14:21:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6614056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eurogirl/pseuds/sokovianaccords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Glimpses into the lives of those who work to keep the world turning</p><p>[deleted scenes and additional stories in the "Special Relationship" verse - tags updated as needed]</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Freedom of Information Act

**Author's Note:**

> This and other chapters will also be posted at thesokovianaccords.tumblr.com/tagged/special-relationship
> 
> (Also, if anyone has tips on how to insert a URL that actually goes where it's supposed to, I would love to hear them. Please?)
> 
> The more time I spend with this AU, the more I fall in love with it, and the more ideas I have that don't really fit in with the main story. I hope you enjoy exploring this world as much as I do!

Tony was pacing.

More specifically, he was pacing along their kitchen counter, a habit he had picked up when he was in college and never stopped. He had always paced in high places when he had a very difficult problem to solve, and this was no exception. Of course, this problem was a little different than the ones he had tried to solve as a 16-year-old engineering student at MIT.

Pepper walked into the living room, talking quietly into the phone that seemed perpetually glued to her ear these days. She threw herself on the couch and flung her shoes away as her assistant went over her schedule for the next day. Tony paused his pacing and watched as she let her hair down from her customary ponytail and placed her arm over her eyes, nodding and making affirming noises to her assistant. This was invariably Tony’s favorite part of the day, when his wife came home and transitioned from Secretary Potts, the woman who commanded fear and respect from world leaders around the globe, to Pepper, the love of his life who liked his stupid jokes and always wore her hair down. To be perfectly honest, he loved her as Secretary Potts too (it was Pepper at her most magnificent), but he always felt so honored that he was allowed to see the woman underneath. He stopped his pacing and watched as she sunk into the couch, the tension falling away from her shoulders, and he fell a little bit more in love all over again.

Then, she said, “We will deal with Russia tomorrow morning.” Tony flinched and resumed his pacing, rubbing his hand over his goatee.

Pepper hung up and turned to watch Tony as he paced back and forth. She had always found this habit of his particularly amusing, and she had always enjoyed watching him work through complex problems. Now, though, she knew why he was pacing, and this was not going to help him solve it.

He had just made it to the farthest part of the counter when she called, “Get back here and cuddle with me, Tony.” He jumped and turned around to see her arms opened invitingly. 

He jumped down from the counter (with a surprising amount of grace) and walked slowly to the couch, his eyebrows furrowed in distress. Pepper clicked her tongue and, as soon as he was within reach, pulled him down on top of her. He gave a heavy sigh into her neck as she carded her fingers through his hair, holding him close.

A moment later, Tony’s head popped up, one eyebrow cocked. “So, you aren’t mad at me?”

Pepper rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Tony–”

“I’m just saying that–”

“We talked about this–”

“You sounded really mad and I’ve–”

“Me disagreeing does not mean–”

“–learned the signs by now–”

“–I’m angry with you.” Pepper placed her hand over Tony’s mouth, stopping what was sure to be a long-winded explanation that actually would make her mad. She raised one eyebrow as she felt him kiss her hand and the beginnings of a smirk beneath her palm. 

“As I was saying,” Pepper said with a firm  **do not interrupt me**  look, and Tony winked, “we talked about this when we first accepted the positions. And again during our confirmation hearings. You are Secretary of Defense, and I am Secretary of State. Of course we are going to disagree, particularly during National Security Council meetings. And we promised each other that we wouldn’t let that affect our relationship or our professionalism. So now, we are going to order dinner, because I am starving, and then we will cuddle on this couch until neither of us is thinking about the rest of the world. It will still be there tomorrow. Okay?”

“Well, actually, the world might  **not** be there tomorrow, since it’s our job to make sure it still is–”

Pepper rolled her eyes, but the corners of her lips lifted slightly in a smile she couldn’t quite suppress. “Tony!”

“Right, dinner and cuddling. Screw the rest of the world, it’s just you and me tonight, Potts.” He plopped his face back in between her neck and shoulder again and murmured, “Other couples definitely don’t have to deal with this kind of thing.”

“And wouldn’t that be boring,” Pepper replied, her eyes drifting shut. Dinner could wait for a few more minutes.

**Author's Note:**

> (I know that the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense would never actually be married, but that's the beautiful thing about alternate universes lol)
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
